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Sochi will be his third Winter Games. No Canadian man has won a medal in alpine skiing in 20 years.

Canada's Manuel Osborne-Paradis will be appearing in his third Olympic Games in Sochi, and he hopes to break a 20-year-long medal drought for Canadians in alpine skiing. (OLIVIER MORIN / AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

“I’m getting pretty good at going to the Olympics, so I’d like to get better at maybe getting a medal,” Osborne-Paradis said.

That’s a feat no Canadian man has achieved in alpine skiing in the past 20 years.

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In men’s alpine skiing, Canadians have stood on the Olympic podium twice. The most recent bronze medal came from Ed Podivinsky in 1994 at Lillehammer; and before that, Steve Podborski won bronze in 1980 at Lake Placid.

“It’s high time another Canadian stepped up on the alpine podium,” Podivinsky said.

A team of veterans including Osborne-Paradis, Jan Hudec and Canada’s top-ranked skier, Erik Guay, has the right combination of skill and experience that can help deliver Olympic success, he said.

Osborne-Paradis agrees, and said he feels more ready than during his first two Games.

“The first one was definitely a surprise, going to Torino, and then Vancouver there was a lot of prep but not very directed prep ... this year we fixed all the bugs and kinks,” he said.

“And obviously there’s not as much pressure not being in Canada, so the nerves are a lot more settled. Hopefully we’re able to direct the energy down the hill.”

In Vancouver, his best finish was 17th in the downhill.

But for all the Olympic experiences he has enjoyed, there are two Osborne-Paradis has yet to achieve.

Winning a medal is the obvious one. But whether that happens or not will depend on his skiing, and a bunch of other factors.

“You push out of the gate, you hope your wax is good, you hope your line is good and hope the weather co-operates,” he said. “It always aligns for three people at every race.”

The other experience Osborne-Paradis wants from Sochi will be easier to achieve.

“As a team that races on the first day, we’ve never gone to the opening ceremonies. I don’t know anybody on the team that’s gone to the opening ceremonies,” he said.

But in Sochi, the opening ceremonies are on Feb. 7; the men’s downhill goes Feb. 9.

“This year that’s one thing we’re all counting on going to. Even though you get in at one or two in the morning, it’s something you need to experience, to believe more in the Olympic spirit.

“I think it’s something that hopefully will carry us through to ski better.”

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